Monday, June 14, 2004

Reagans to Bush: Get Out of the Way

Via Zemblan patriot J.D.: The family of the late President has gently explained to the sitting President that there will be no more opportunistic coattail-riding until he gets right with science:

The family of former President Ronald Reagan declared political war on the White House yesterday over President Bush's ban on stem cell research.

Patti Davis, Reagan's daughter from his storybook marriage to Nancy Reagan, said yesterday that her mother "has emerged as a central figure in the effort to get the federal government out of the way."

"If that phrase about the government sounds familiar, it should," Davis wrote in Newsweek. "I grew up hearing my father say often that the government should get out of the way."

Conservatives - including Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, whose dad's life was claimed by Alzheimer's as Reagan's was on June 5 - morally oppose harvesting stem cells from human embryos for research into diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.

The 40th President, who died at 93 after a decade of suffering with the disease, was morally opposed to abortion, as is Bush. But Nancy Reagan has urged scientists and political figures to pressure the Bush administration to relax its 2001 ban on the controversial stem cell research.

Davis called Reagan's widow "the voice for stem cell research now," and that role has "placed her firmly against the White House - at least those currently in residence there."

"I swear I can hear my father chuckling at that," Davis wrote . . . .

Bush has not shifted his position despite the increasing pressure from Nancy Reagan, whom Republicans would love to speak at this summer's GOP convention.

Perhaps Ron Reagan, Jr. would be willing to fill in. After all, his speech is practically written -- all he'd have to do is string together a few choice quotes from his recent Salon inteview. (Thanks to Avedon Carol for the link.)